Liliya Anisomova is a driven journalist who has always known what she wanted. As a young girl she would climb inside the cardboard box turned TV set, created by her grandparents, and drift away into her fantasy. For years she would play pretend, imagining herself as a news anchor; but she wouldn’t have to pretend much longer, as her ambition would soon make her dream a reality.

Even though she had been freelancing since the age of 13 it wasn’t until age 16 that Liliya kicked her goals into overdrive. Not one to wait around for things to come to her, Liliya moved from her hometown of Volgograd, Russia to Moscow to become a TV Journalist. Her forward thinking and direct approach has lead her to many opportunities. When she felt like she wasn’t getting the experience she needed she didn’t sit around feeling sorry for herself, she got up and did something about it.

When Liliya, a self confessed travel junkie, stumbled across the Russian Travel Guide one afternoon it was love at first site. After contacting RTG TV, she was a part of the team in less than 24 hours. Through her role at RTG, she was lucky enough to work with a range of talented directors, which planted the seed for her next move.

She says, “The more I was watching experienced directors working on documentaries for Russian Travel Guide the more I wanted to try it myself. I learned a lot while working there, but I knew it was time I did it myself.”

Watching directors work their magic sparked something within Liliya. She wanted to share her vision and help others share their stories; and, ever since she began her directing journey, she has continued to produce compelling documentaries.

She moved to New York soon after where she began directing her first documentary, Magic of the Underground. The film details the life of Steve, a generous New York Subway magician who not only got people to notice him, but also brought laughter to his audience. As this was her first documentary, Liliya learned a lot about the relationship between a director and their subject– something that would serve as an important lesson for all of her future film projects.

About working with Steve, Liliya explains, “He let me into his life. Sometimes it was even overwhelming, as he would call me in the middle of the night crying and complaining about depression, or other personal problems.”

Liliya’s more recent film Love is the Highest Law, which was released at the end of 2014, is just as touching, but this time she chose to take on the politically charged and controversial topic of gay rights in Russia. As an Official Selection of the Queer Film Festival, Liliya’s film screened at the University of Oregon where she was invited to talk about gay rights and her experience making the film.

Something that comes across in all of Liliya’s work is her incessant bravery. She is not afraid to be honest, share tough stories and speak up for what she believes in, characteristics that make all of her projects as informative as they are groundbreaking.